Buffing Paint: How To Buff Paint To A New Car Shine

This is not a commercial, infomercial, or free advertising for Meguiar’s, let’s clear that up right away. Yes, Meguiar’s Orange County headquarters are close to our editorial office, and yes, we like the company’s products. We also have a good relationship with media/PR reps Michael Pennington and Mike Stoops, guys who love their jobs and love detailing cars. We respect them for not only their enthusiasm for car care products but also for their honest, plain-spoken message. It is true that they’d like us and all our readers to buy Meguiar’s products because they believe in what their company sells, but they will also readily admit that other wax companies make excellent products. If you prefer Mothers, Aero, Jax Wax, or Turtle Wax, that’s OK. Mike and Mike both recognize your car’s finish is a significant investment, whether you’ve got a new car, a newly painted car, or an older paintjob you want to keep looking as good as possible. On a basic level, they strive to educate people on how to properly use a particular product, no matter what brand it is. If some of those people end up becoming Meguiar’s customers, all the better, but their willingness to help is not predicated by whether a person will buy up all the Meguiar’s products on display at his local parts store. In that spirit, we drove Editor Glad’s ’06 Mustang to Irvine for a debrief on the right way to rehabilitate a car, both inside and out. It represents an average daily driver with a five-year-old paintjob. These paint buffing techniques will work for virtually any car that is still shiny, not chalky.

MicrofiberUsed for:
Removing compound, polish, and wax (use separate towels for each step)
Applying quick detailerApplicator care:
Buffer pads and terry cloth and microfiber towels can be machine washed with regular detergent. Wash them separately from your clothes (the waxes and cleaning products can stain your clothes, not that we would know or anything), do not use bleach, fabric softener, or dryer sheets—these contaminate the towels and they will not work as efficiently.

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The Paint Buffer’s Cheat Sheet

CompoundWhat it is: A mild abrasive designed to remove a small amount of paint from the surface of the carWhat it does: Removes swirl marks, oxidation, and light scratchesUse it with: A random orbital polisher with a compounding foam pad (usually yellow)
High speed setting, slow travel time
Fifty percent overlap on each pass
Work in small sections
Remove with a microfiber towel

PolishWhat it is: A gloss enhancer*What it does: Adds depth, brightness, and clarity to the finishUse it with: With a random orbital polisher and a polishing pad (usually gray or black)
Medium speed setting, fast travel time
Work in larger sections
Fifty percent overlap on each pass
Remove with a microfiber towel
*Polish is a vague term. Some polishes contain small amounts of abrasives that “clean” the paint, but pure polishes contain no abrasives, they are a chemical formulation that adds depth to the finish.

WaxWhat it is: Sunscreen for your paintWhat it does: Offers UV protection, prevents oxidation, and seals paint from the environmentUse it with: Applied in a thin layer by hand with a foam pad*
If machine application is OK, use a low speed, fast travel time
Apply over the entire car
Let dry to a light haze and remove with a microfiber towel
*Some waxes aren’t meant to be applied by machine—the high speeds (relative to hand application) cause the wax to gum up.